


Little Devil (Now I’ll show you who’s in control)

by velvetkhj



Category: ATEEZ (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Vampire, Angst and Humor, Blood and Gore, Blood and Violence, Enemies to Lovers, Eventual Smut, Explicit Sexual Content, Flirting, Graphic Description of Corpses, Hunters & Hunting, Innuendo, M/M, Making Out, Seonghwa is an asshole, Sexual Tension, Slow Burn, Stereotypes, Vampire Hunters, Weapons, he will eventually learn that not all vampires are bad, i love this trope shut up, we love making out as bargaining methods
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-08
Updated: 2021-02-08
Packaged: 2021-03-14 01:14:30
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,237
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29288154
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/velvetkhj/pseuds/velvetkhj
Summary: “Bile burned against his throat, lips rolling as he wondered how he could bring that up to Hongjoong.He briefly wondered if they would survive, in the long run.It was either run or die.Seonghwa wasn’t one for dying, nor running.He wasn’t a coward—he was strategic.”—In which Seonghwa is a skilled Vampire Hunter, who becomes a prey startlingly quick after a mission gone south. And his only hope is Kim Hongjoong—the most frustrating Vampire he ever met.
Relationships: Kim Hongjoong/Park Seonghwa
Comments: 3
Kudos: 54





	Little Devil (Now I’ll show you who’s in control)

Seonghwa adjusted his holster that held his favorite blade to fight with, the steel of the weapon tucked away safely under the dark leather. 

He then took a swipe at his leather jacket, the black setting nicely against his grey buttoned up shirt, and melting into his dress pants that hugged him in all the right places. He wasn’t used to dressing up for a rare occasion—he was a man on the field, used to run in light clothing and boring unicolore shirts that made him blend in the crowd at most times. 

He was a professional, taking in requests from distraught clients who wanted someone or _something_ _highly dangerous_ dead in the next ten hours, he was the best at his job. 

He was silent, slithering around areas and fields like a champ, always bouncing on his feet like a feline—so silent that he was the messenger of death itself, so deadly and torturous that everyone feared the mere mention of his name. 

He was the most skilled Hunter in his entire lineage combined. 

He was trained thoroughly and endlessly, trained to handle every situation that might turn into glass breaking and bloodshed—he was taught to not  _ show _ weakness under any circumstances, or showing  _ emotions _ on his face or behind his eyes. And then he learned that emotions were a turning point that could change a person—as his mom would tell him after a rough day with his robotic-mannered father. So he could switch between a killing machine and a man with high emotional intelligence without a  _ problem _ . 

Seonghwa knew the best knife tricks like the back of his hand, and knew how to shoot with a gun with his eyes closed—he wasn’t  _ physically _ able to fail a mission. 

Every lesson taught to him was melted in his bones, his muscles and his brain—making him almost like a machine—a machine that delivered  _ Death _ on a silver platter. 

He was dangerous, lethal, even. But only to the  _ wrong side _ of people. 

Add to the list—Vampires. 

Seonghwa hated their kind with a passion—but maybe he was a little biased because of it. 

But he would never forget the face his dear mother made as a sucking scum of a person sunk their canines into her neck, draining her entire blood right in front of Seonghwa’s childlike eyes, and left him to deal with her falling corpse by keeping him alive and leaving the house, but not without roughing him up first with a few kicks to the stomach and two teeth marks on him. This had been a turning point in Seonghwa’s life. 

He still remembered the feeling of touching her slowly cooling skin with his hands. 

He remembered the nasty bile gathering at the bottom of his throat. 

He never allowed himself to be weak—especially not believing his mother’s beliefs about how humanity could live and prosper alongside Vampires. 

Vampires were cruel and bloodthirsty,  _ barbaric _ even. They thrived for bloodshed, both to fulfill their hunger—but also to entertain themselves, by hunting humans and killing them mercilessly,  _ even _ if they asked for forgiveness,  _ even _ if they were innocent and unarmed. 

Seonghwa’s mother was a saint, full of wisdom and a pure visionary of peace. She was the first to actually try and almost succeeded into making him believe that Vampires  _ could _ be good—that they could come to an understanding with humans by showing  _ their _ own humanity. But then, life had other plans. 

It made her fall against the bane of Seonghwa’s existence and the source of his mother’s peace and hope. 

Life was cruel, wasn’t it?

Since then, Seonghwa had been tracking down every single Vampire that established an era of terror in neighboring countries. He wouldn’t kill a bloodsucker without a good reason—but that didn’t mean he couldn’t trash about them like a five year old, as his partner would tease him about it sometimes. 

Killing every single being of their species would give him problems that he probably wouldn’t be able to shake off by himself. 

Seonghwa came back to himself with a heavy sigh, staring at the entrance to the nightclub that was known for throwing vampire-friendly parties for both humans and vampires. But Seonghwa’s chatty and overwhelmingly joyful partner informed him during their first reconnaissance mission that this was just a ploy to get their human trafficking going, so that they could get the right amount of blood to feed an entire nation. 

But the problem was that the people they’re feeding from do not survive—none of them did. Which made the trafficking ring a way for bloodthirsty murderers a way to quench their thirst, and remain “alive” for a longer period of time. 

Seonghwa was in charge of finding who was the starter of that ring and bringing their freshly cut head to the Hunter headquarters for a prime, and if he was honest—he needed that money. 

So he didn’t pry or whine about the chances of the mission being slightly harder than he was used to—since the demand was for only skilled hunters that didn’t have the word  _ mistake _ in their vocabulary. 

Seonghwa squinted at the main door, inspecting the guard from afar. “I’m surprised you’re still in the car—you’re not one to wait and analyze because of a sliver of  _ fear _ or  _ apprehension _ holding you back.”

Seonghwa sighed loudly, rolling his eyes as he fell back against the car seat. 

He touched the earpiece lodged comfortably into his ear, rolling his lips as he tried not to snap at his partner for his lousy mouth. 

“I would be if I wasn’t afraid of fucking things up on a mission with a bigger difficulty rate. This is a fucking nest, San. I can’t go in just like that—you know it.” 

San, with his honey-warm voice, only sighed back at him—and Seonghwa could instantly tell that he was rolling his eyes at him through the comms. 

“Don’t be nervous, boy. It will show.” San said after a beat, just as Seonghwa made up his mind and grabbed his gun and his blade before climbing out of the pitch black vehicle. 

“I am not nervous, don’t put words in my mouth,” he snapped back—clicking the door shut and locking the vehicle as he pulled away from it in powerful yet elegant strides. 

San said nothing, only a sigh leaving him as he let him approach the building, through the camera that was strapped on the front of the entrance. 

Choi San was a genius, his intellect vastly superior than any partner he had before, which his former co-hunters were known for being spineless idiots—which made a nice change in his routine. Or maybe it was that Seonghwa was too  _ strict _ and tense on anyone he met. 

San was a strong force of nature, having a problem with authority when things didn’t go smoothly, but he wasn’t a brat either. When something wasn’t right to him—especially when things went south that weren’t Seonghwa or San’s fault—he would hold his head high and call out bullshit by raising his voice at the hunter elder, who got pissed at his outbursts a  _ lot _ . 

Seonghwa liked his vivid personality, but he wouldn’t even say that out loud, San wouldn’t let him live it down. 

“I’m simply helping you figure out why you seem to hesitate to enter the nightclub—”

Seonghwa groaned, brushing his calloused hand into his pitch black hair that fell in front of his eyes. 

“You’re searching for something that isn’t there,  _ Choi _ .” 

San hummed, ignoring the use of his last name in such a bristling tone and giggled with amusement as he seemed to come to a conclusion that Seonghwa definitely wouldn’t like. “Is it because of your contact that chose to help you in your tracking mission? Your very _Vampiric_ _contact_?”

Seonghwa clenched his teeth in irritation, fists closed tightly at his sides. 

“You know, if you’d let yourself be more open minded—you wouldn’t waste your time being fueled up by hatred and distaste towards Vampires.” 

Seonghwa felt himself turning bright red with rage. He didn’t explode in the middle of the parking lot—he reached the guard in front of the main door, picking his ID from the back of his pants and showing it in front of his face. 

The security guard glanced at it for a few seconds, eyes widening by a bit—probably spotting the Hunter badge at the corner. Seonghwa smirked (it was probably a barely contained grimace because of how pissed he was at the moment, so he kept his face impassible) as the security guard stepped aside and let him in, with a short and polite nod. 

(Seonghwa didn’t acknowledge it, he frankly didn’t care.)

Seonghwa clenched his teeth and his jaw was locked too tight from the rage that was boiling within him. 

“You do not want to venture in this fucking territory, Choi.” Seonghwa muttered, pure venom lacing his voice. 

San sighed once more, pushing it aside and focusing on the mission once more—telling him directions to help Seonghwa spot their informant. 

“Do you have a visual hint for our contact?” Seonghwa rasped out, voice a tiny bit louder due to the rather assaulting music reaching his eardrums. 

San hummed and made him wait just a bit, and the faint hint of a noise coming from a keyboard came to his ears. 

“Okay—I fiddled a bit with the supernatural creatures folders in our database, and the best visual I can give you is that the informant is usually dressed neatly, and has a lot of affections for suits. He can be spotted easily with his dark brown hair and—is that a _fucking_ _mullet_?” San exclaimed, tone full of disbelief. 

Seonghwa walked through the sweaty crowds, not even bothering to glance around and apologize to the people he bumped into—he looked threatening enough so that people didn’t spare him a single glare or complaint. 

Good for him. 

“Anything else?” Seonghwa growled out, eyes darting left and right in the dark club that barely illuminated with neon lights. 

“That’s all I have, sorry  _ dearie _ .”

Seonghwa groaned in defeat, marching forward and turning off his earpiece. 

The hunter looked around for the informant, heart matching itself to the beating bass of the nightclub, and he almost sighed in irritation—because he didn’t belong at all here. 

He didn’t want to be here. 

But the  _ high _ payment was frankly the only thing that mattered. Seonghwa had to do his job—and he was fucking good at it. 

Seonghwa glanced at his belt, touching the small blade that laid between his hips and his leather jacket—taking a deep breath before marching forward into the endless sea of people. 

Seonghwa wasn’t a crowd enthusiast, he was all for heavy silence—he liked doing this alone, on his own. And if you dared making a noise or talking to him directly, get ready for a nasty side-eye. 

The man wasn’t a social butterfly, like Choi was. He was reserved, irritable and snappy most of the time, and he was groaning and growling like a beast when the morning sun rays knocked on his bedroom door. 

So to say that he wasn’t in his element at all was an understatement. 

The Hunter was on his guard, looking around to find the contact they had been looking for—waiting for his signal during two whole months, to make sure that the Hunter bureau won’t back out of the reconnaissance mission. 

Then, something in the corner of his eye caught his attention. 

A small crowd of people was circling a couch in the middle of the club, and the person in the center was sprawled on the furniture—and Seonghwa felt a phantom pressure on his shoulders and a boulder sitting at the base of his stomach. 

As he came closer, as if hypnotized, swallowed by a heavy feeling, his heart almost dropped into his toes. 

Bitter recognition passed on his face. 

He turned around, panic gripping at his bones. He started to walk the other way, but a holler rooted him to his spot on the neon lighted dance floor. 

“What a pleasant surprise to see you here,” a saccharine voice greeted him from behind, strong and loud enough to withstand the bass of the music surrounding them. The tone of the man’s voice was dangerously sweet and welcoming, and as Seonghwa turned around to stare at his damn nemesis—

He looked more than fine. 

Seonghwa squinted at him, his neck becoming hotter by the second. 

“Hongjoong.” 

He growled the name out with so much irritation and hatred, but it didn’t seem to faze him. 

Hongjoong obviously didn’t change at all—being a Vampire and all—he only added some extensions of long warm brown strands of hair, which almost touched the middle of his back. He stood up from the sweaty couch, brushing against his puppets’ limbs as he went—shooting them sultry and lusting looks over his shoulder. 

His eyes were like liquid onyx’s, deep and mysterious—but Seonghwa didn’t buy his sickening charms. 

Seonghwa wanted to vomit. He clenched his fists at his sides, trying to control his urge to just go away and punch Hongjoong in his  _ perfect looking fucking face. _

Hongjoong was an annoying type of a man and a loud mouth. He lacked the use of a filter—always saying what was on his mind, whether it was good or bad. His mouth would smirk around a few innuendos, and flirting his way through jobs and feeding sessions with clients in the nightclub. Most of the time, he acted unlike himself, a someone that people expected him to  _ be _ . Seonghwa didn’t care enough to figure him out. 

Hongjoong was also capable, independent. 

Obviously, he was able to take care of himself and he knew how to fight—but he was always running in circles around Seonghwa for a while, making himself look smaller than he actually was. 

Until he got bored. Hongjoong finally left him alone for a whole year. 

And now his mission just fucked him over and forced him to see that face again. 

“Now, sweetheart—I don’t think it’s a way to talk to someone you fuc—”

Seonghwa darted forward, covering Hongjoong’s mouth with his palm—anger seething in his eyes. Hongjoong made a noise of surprise, but didn’t fight him off for his insolence. 

The flirty vampire only relaxed in his hold, melting against Seonghwa’s front. The Hunter then realized the compromising position they were in, which consisted of them standing chest to chest—and Seonghwa ignored the feeling of Hongjoong’s crotch brushing over his thighs. 

Hongjoong’s eyes glinted underneath the neon lighting, the khôl makeup bringing out the scarlet of his irises and the gentle blush of his cheeks. 

Seonghwa glared at the vampire, daring him to even  _ make _ a noise. 

Hongjoong shrugged, eyes widening comically. 

Seonghwa then let him go, and Hongjoong didn’t move away—pulling himself even closer to the hunter with a confident smirk stretching at his lips and a hand bundled up in the front of Seonghwa’s jacket. “That’s not a way to greet a friend, but I’ll let it pass because you’re looking _very_ _pleasing_ to my eyes right now.” 

Hongjoong pulled away from the other, a smile still pulling at his reddish lips, which were slightly parted and glossy with blood. 

Oh, he was  _ feeding _ before the Hunter came in. 

Seonghwa shrugged it off with a hard glare, glancing away from the object of his current nightmares. 

Then Hongjoong gripped tighter the front of his leather jacket, tilting his head in a very sensual manner, hoping to get the hunter’s attention. 

“What brings you here,  _ baby _ ?” 

Seonghwa groaned in disdain, “Do not call me that, Kim.”

Hongjoong stared hardly at him at the use of his last name—it happened often because of the dislike for him that was sitting on his tongue—but he ignored it, like the rest of Seonghwa’s signals that indicated just how murderous he felt at the moment. 

Hongjoong was a frustrating little shit. 

Seonghwa didn’t want to tell him. Hongjoong probably had known in advance that Seonghwa would go and meet him here so that they could work together to dismantle the human trafficking ring that started majorly in  _ Crimson Void,  _ the nightclub that served as a decoy to lure in clueless victims. The nightclub Seonghwa was a deep foot in—where he was obligated to be in the same vicinity with the bane of his fucking existence. 

The brown haired vampire raised a brow, smirking at the hunter. 

“Let’s get this out of the way, and admit that you missed me.” He teased, smirking widening considerably as Seonghwa clenched his fists at his sides. 

“You’re fucking insane,” the black haired man replied, tone angry and harder than it should be. 

Hongjoong slid closer to the other man, leaning into his personal space in a matter of seconds. His vampiric speed caught Seonghwa by surprise, the latter gasping as he leaned backwards to put some space between the two. 

The vampire nuzzled his face into his neck, his breath brushing on his skin, and Hongjoong watched in rapt fascination as Seonghwa shivered—electricity charging in the air surrounding them. 

Hongjoong brushed his lips against the other’s ear, licking his lips as he felt the blood under his hands. “I’m your informant,  _ Sweetheart _ . If you want your database and your folders to be completed—you’d have to cooperate.” 

Seonghwa groaned against him, before he pushed him back, wiping his clothes frantically as if Hongjoong dirtied his fit with his mere presence. 

“Then give me what I came for, before I punch your face in.” The hunter barked, hand brushing past his belt to grab at his blade. 

Hongjoong didn’t flinch—only smirked as he saw the blade glint underneath the neon lights. 

“You see, you’re being too brash for my liking. You’ll have to do  _ something _ for me before I start helping you.”

Seonghwa balked, his heated glare coming in full force once more—ready to murder Hongjoong in cold blood. He had enough. 

The nightclub was bursting with people who danced without a single care in the world—and a few teenagers and adults were bumping into the Seonghwa, which caused him to stumble forward. 

He fell right on Hongjoong, who stopped him from breaking his nose by gripping him by the waist, with a hand sliding up to hold him at his nape. 

Little shit. 

Seonghwa stopped breathing at the proximity, looking into the other’s eyes like a deer in headlights. 

Hongjoong brushed a hand down the man’s spine, a smirk painting his face. 

“You’d have your information, but with a little price.” 

Seonghwa didn’t waste time. “Name it.” 

Grinning like a demon, Hongjoong opened his mouth and let his fangs poke through his gums. “Kiss me.”

Seonghwa recoiled, expression shifting with disgust. 

“What the fuck? I won’t do this—Kim.” He growled out, eyes blazing at him with anger. 

The vampire only sighed, his grin still plastered on his stupid face. 

“Then you can say goodbye to your precious mission.” 

A little voice in his head that sounded a lot like San’s rose up in the inside of his brain.  _ Do not kill him—as much as you want to—we need him alive. So shove your weird rivalry shit somewhere else.  _

Seonghwa took a deep breath and exhaled, brushing a hand against his blade, to calm his nerves. 

“Is there another option?” 

Hongjoong chuckled, cocking his hips. 

“You wouldn’t  _ like _ that one.” He replied, purposely obtuse, with his mouth quirking up. 

Seonghwa grunted in annoyance, his patience disappearing little by little. 

He thought about it, feeling the familiar prickle of disgust and irritation swirling at the pit of his stomach—he didn’t want to have  _ anything _ to do with him.  _ Nothing _ . 

Seonghwa took a sharp look towards Hongjoong, his jaw tightened. He was tense. 

“You’re so fucking annoying.” Seonghwa rasped out angrily, eyes strained on the vampire in front of him—who was dancing along with the sensual bass of the club. 

“I think you mean annoyingly endearing, baby.” 

Hongjoong darted forward, grasping at Seonghwa’s jacket once more, his body aligning with his own. 

The gesture was strangely intimate, which caught Seonghwa off guard. 

Hongjoong had a mischievous glint in his crimson eyes, which sparkled under the neon lights as he tilted his head. 

He was so fucking smug about their proximity, about the fact that he had Seonghwa stop breathing because he was caught off guard by the position they were in. At how close they were to each other.  _ Plastered _ together. 

_ Fucking Vampire _ . 

Seonghwa hated this, but he didn’t have the strength in him to push him away. 

He didn’t have  _ strength _ at all. 

He wondered what was wrong with him. 

“This is such a shame, you’re so delicious to look at. A real delight. But your personality is  _ almost _ a turn off.” The vampire trailed off, smirk hanging on his face. 

Seonghwa reeled his head away, offended by what came out of the other’s mouth. 

His personality was fucking great, thank you very much. 

What an asshole. 

“You’re so…brash and volatile—not to mention,  _ violent _ .” 

Seonghwa rolled his eyes as Hongjoong brushed his chest against his, expression dramatically dropping. 

“Then why are you sticking around, are you perhaps  _ obsessed _ with me?” Seonghwa shot back sharply. 

That seemed to stick, because that made the supernatural creature pause. 

His hands circled Seonghwa’s neck, and he shot forward—closing the distance between them in a blink. 

They were so close to each other, that their noses were touching. 

It was…almost soft and gentle. 

Everything that Hongjoong or Seonghwa weren’t. 

“So, put your little disdain and your pride aside—and kiss me.” 

Seonghwa laughed darkly, pulling away slightly just to piss the other off. 

“That’s all you wanted, isn’t it?”

Hongjoong tilted his head, intrigued. 

“What?” 

“That’s all you wanted, a contact with me. A touch. You’re starving for attention—for someone to give you their body and soul.” 

Hongjoong tensed. 

Then the vampire scoffed. “I didn’t expect to be part of a psychoanalysis today, gee.”

Seonghwa felt smug but swallowed the smirk off his face. 

“Well, I was on the right track—am I wrong?” 

“Well, it depends whether you want your information or not.” 

Oh, that was where it was going. The bastard. 

“Be serious.” 

“I am.” Hongjoong slid even closer, eyes darting across the look on Seonghwa’s closed off expression. 

“You’re not. You’re asking for a kiss like a lovesick teenage girl.” 

Hongjoong took offense to that, gasping against him. 

They rocked to the music booming in the club—the harsh and hard rhythms vibrating through their bodies. 

Seonghwa never even realized that they were dancing against each other—almost grinding their hips. 

“What’s wrong with asking something like that? I wonder what about this got your panties in a twist.” 

Seonghwa frowned. “You’re a vampire, you don’t ask for something as meaningless and innocent as a kiss.” 

Hongjoong huffed a breath, rolling his eyes. “What? Do you expect all vampires to thrive for bloodshed and chaos?” 

The stunned silence coming from Seonghwa was an affirmative response. 

He blinked, and Hongjoong brushed a hand against the short black hair that was styled neatly on top of Seonghwa’s head. He gripped at it, earning a yelp from the hunter. 

“I want something real, tangible. I want to taste—not just lust, I want love, affection, joy, and laughter. I want the same things as you in the long run—but the difference between you and me,” Hongjoong started, eyes hard and cold with resentment—which shook Seonghwa to his core. “Is that how you get to live those things. I  _ don’t _ . People want me dead, on a fucking platter. Because of who I am. Get that in your skull.” 

Seonghwa was caught off guard once again. 

Hongjoong was silent, a deadly and dangerous soul—he was not the type of ask for things like that. He was complex in his simplicity, he was too noble for what he was. He was respectful, too respectful, but also could curse you out if you disturbed him. He was the opposite of himself and sometimes he  _ wasn’t _ . 

Seonghwa didn’t know him. 

Maybe that was the issue. 

Hongjoong was practically burning with anger, and it was Seonghwa’s fault. 

He insulted him—and now he might never give him what he needed to dismantle the fucking trafficking ring. 

Unless—

Unless he shoved his disdain for vampires aside and did Hongjoong’s absurd request. 

It certainly wouldn’t kill him. 

God, he was going to regret this. 

Seonghwa grabbed the other by the front of his shirt, which was unbuttoned, leaving his bare chest glinting under the neon lights, which made his sweat shine under his eyes. He did not  _ stare _ . 

Hongjoong almost tripped as he followed the pattern of his hands and stuttered on a breath when their noses started touching. 

“Fine—one kiss. Then we’re done.”

Hongjoong only had the time to widen his eyes before Seonghwa closed the distance between them. 

The kiss was bitter to Seonghwa, devoid of any emotion, and feeling. But something else was there—at the pit of his stomach. It was subtle but it hit him like a fucking truck when he realized what it was. 

It was lust—interest. 

Seonghwa kissed him harder, moving his hands from the front of his shirt to Hongjoong’s face, the touch strangely gentler than the kiss itself. 

Hongjoong whimpered against his lips, pulling away before claiming his lips again in a gasp. 

Seonghwa gripped at Hongjoong’s mullet, pulling on the strands and earning a moan from the depths of the vampire’s throat. 

It did something to him, somehow. 

Hongjoong licked at the hunter’s lips, and Seonghwa pulled them apart—letting him in with a starving groan. 

Hongjoong moaned eagerly against his lips, hands grabbing at his clothes. 

Hongjoong took what he wanted. 

And Seonghwa bitterly found out that he didn’t mind that one bit. 

They pulled apart, gasping around a few breaths of warm air. 

The music continued to play and yet, the two men were in a stopping motion—left to stare at each other. 

Hongjoong pulled away from Seonghwa’s caging arms, a smile curling on his swollen lips. 

“See, that wasn’t so hard.” The vampire said, an amused expression on his face. 

Seonghwa scoffed, his irritation returning full force. 

Here we go again. 

“You got your kiss.” 

The  _ now give me the information you have _ went unsaid. 

Hongjoong crossed his arms, looking at him. He sighed in finality. 

“Fine, you kill-joy. Follow me, we need to discuss somewhere else, in  _ private _ .”

Seonghwa nodded, gesturing for the vampire to set the pace. 

The man turned around and walked with assurance, confidence shining through him like a gold hue. He snapped the door open that led them outside in the slightly colder air, turning around to stare at the hunter with his arms crossed. 

“Alright, talk.” 

The vampire shook his head in exasperation, rolling his eyes. “Try that, but put a  _ please _ in there. Politeness is sexy.”

Seonghwa bristled, teeth clacking together. But he swallowed his bitter anger down—and he rolled his shoulders due to the apparent discomfort he felt right at the moment. “Please, do tell me what you found—so that we can start hunting the bastard who’s using human beings as meat bags.” 

Hongjoong hadn’t made a comment about his hard and harsh tone that he forced through his teeth, but he smiled nonetheless—pleased by it. 

“Here we go, now we’re talking.” 

Seonghwa stayed silent, but his fists twitched. 

“Maybe you could turn your earpiece on in case your partner wants to hear what I’m about to tell you, right sweetheart?” 

Seonghwa didn’t flinch in surprise, but his eyes betrayed him—going wide with disbelief. 

“You didn’t see me turn it off.” 

Hongjoong crossed his arms over his semi-naked chest—walking closer to the human. He sniffed at the air, his nose twitching. 

“Mayhaps I did see you turn it off—you were being slightly…how do I put it? Ah—fired up? Not in a good way, though.”

Seonghwa squinted at the vampire, eyebrows drawn together in a perplexed frown. 

_ You’ve been watching me,  _ Seonghwa wanted to spit out. But he didn’t. 

He didn’t have time for this. 

Seonghwa sighed and turned on his earpiece, greeting his partner normally as if he didn’t deprive him of important information for at least fifteen minutes on purpose. 

_ “Hello, asshole—I had to figure out what the fuck you were saying to each other for almost twenty minutes because you thought it was funny to cut me off.”  _ San growled into the comms, huffing in annoyance. 

“I didn’t want to have you mutter shit in my ears during my meeting with the contact, that’s the difference.” Seonghwa replied, Hongjoong chuckling to himself from the corner of the man’s eye. 

_ “So…care to explain why the fuck you just made out like starving animals for my poor virgin eyes to see? I’m scarred for life.”  _

Seonghwa rolled his eyes. 

Hongjoong smirked, coming closer to Seonghwa. 

“We were… _ bargaining _ . A little treat for information. That is simple, and frankly quite pleasant.” 

“For you, maybe.” 

Hongjoong tilted his head, chuckling in amusement. “Don’t act like you didn’t enjoy it—you were  _ ravaging _ me.”

Seonghwa choked on a breath of air, but he didn’t deny or confirmed that statement. 

_ “You guys are so gross.” _

“Says the guy who takes his one-time lovers on the office desks during break time.” 

_ “Listen—” _

Hongjoong found their interactions endearing, because he didn’t bother to put in his grain of salt into the conversation, he just  _ listened _ to Seonghwa’s voice. 

The vampire walked to the brick wall of the nightclub’s exterior, leaning his back on it. 

He tapped at the hunter’s shoulder without a word, getting his attention. Seonghwa glanced at him and went silent—probably because the look in his eyes told the hunter that he was ready to start talking. 

“I’m certain that you heard about the Human-Vampire Accords, which seeks peace with the two species and to assure that their peaceful relations are maintained, right?”

Seonghwa frowned at the tone of Hongjoong’s voice. 

“Of course I do, the Hunter Bureau  _ created _ the Accords. I was there when it was signed.” 

Hongjoong hummed gently, clearing his throat to continue. 

“I remember one member of the Council within the Bureau who wasn’t enchanted with the idea that humans and vampires could coexist together without inciting war, death and chaos.” 

(Seonghwa briefly wondered about the Council, which was half composed of humans and the other half of Vampires, which was a good idea at the time to prevent an uprising from the two species. Now, the hunter wasn’t so sure.)

Seonghwa nodded, urging the vampire to continue. Hongjoong closed his eyes, throat almost dry like a river in the desert. 

“The only lead I can give you is the master of my former Clan, he was the only one who resented and hated humans to the  _ point _ of enslaving them or killing them in cold blood.”

Seonghwa let the information click in his brain, before his mouth opened to provide an answer. 

“We didn’t hear from him in decades—why would he start shit now?” Seonghwa questioned, slightly frightened. His father would scold him for showing a slight hint of terror. 

Hongjoong shook his head, he didn’t know for sure. 

_ “Who are we talking about here?—there’s plenty of people that still do not accept the Accords.”  _ San piped up, hands clicking at his keyboard, probably to dig up their primary suspect of the trafficking ring. 

Hongjoong sighed, before turning his gaze towards the human hunter, his gaze burning through him like wildfire. 

“It’s _Lee_ _Hyunwa_.” It came out like a perishing growl, making Hongjoong turn his head and stare at the Hunter. 

Then he nodded in affirmation—which meant that they were on the same wavelength. They had the same information and they had intentions of using it well to find that bloodthirsty scum. 

The mission might not be as hopeless as Seonghwa thought wrongly just a few minutes earlier. 

_ “Oh—the same Lee Hyunwa who slaughtered an entire city because the man wasn’t enchanted about the Accords being accepted all over the continent five years ago? Then just disappeared from our radars like a fucking ghost?” _

Seonghwa grunted roughly in response. 

San hummed in the comms, clicking at his keyboard. 

“I still want to yank his head off with my fangs for that—that action was uncalled for, and mostly  _ immoral _ .” Hongjoong piped up, gaze murderous, his crimson eyes glinting under the neon sign. 

“Then why didn’t you take action against him when you had the chance? He is one of  _ you _ . And yet,  _ we _ have to do all the work because you’re hiding him from justice.”

That settled Hongjoong off, and he almost launched himself at him—muscles tense and teeth bared. “Do not say this of me—I am not  _ like them _ . He isn’t a part of our species—he’s a fucking monster. The worst kind. Do not associate Vampires with this man, or I swear to god, Seonghwa—I’ll make you eat those words.” 

Seonghwa tilted his head, anger flaring inside of him—because Hongjoong was exactly like them. 

Dangerous and vile. A vampire that thrived of blood, chaos and misery. He was a pure blooded killer who would come to enjoy killing even though he advanced that it was immoral for vampires to do so. 

Because barbarism flowed through his veins anyway—

He would become like them, one way or another. 

“How can you say what is moral and what is not when you feed from the living? Your putrid existence torments the earth—you  _ kill  _ others to stay alive, you have nothing to defend yourself with—”

Seonghwa abruptly stopped speaking as the vampire’s fist made contact with his face, sending him stuttering on his feet backwards—head raising up to stare at a furious Hongjoong. 

Seonghwa felt a thin line of blood flowing from his nose, the metallic taste of blood filling his mouth. 

Hongjoong marched towards him, his red eyes glaring holes into the hunter’s skull—and for once, Seonghwa… _ feared _ him. 

Because for once—he saw what his pure hatred looked like. 

What he  _ truly _ was. 

During that moment, he really looked like a barbaric vampire, fangs poking out of his lips. 

His eyes were looking straight to him, pupils slit as he gripped him by the jacket and flung him against the wall in a growl. 

Seonghwa grunted in pain, his back flaring up as it made contact with the brick. 

Hongjoong stood over him, shaking in barely contained rage. 

San didn’t bother reaching out to Seonghwa, even though he knew he was getting his ass handed to him by a creature of the night—he was  _ controlling _ the cameras of the entire city. 

Him remaining silent told Seonghwa that he  _ might have _ fucked up. 

“Did you think I was proud of becoming like this? I was human once, asshole—and if you pulled your head out of your ass, maybe you’ll understand that we still have a lot in common with humans. I didn’t  _ ask _ to die and remain as  _ this _ .”

Seonghwa stared at him, unable to breathe—he felt trapped in his own body. 

The violent vulnerability in Hongjoong’s voice shook him to his core, not expecting such a feature in him. 

He was angry. 

He was seething. 

Seonghwa stared as he unloaded his hatred on him. 

“You are incredibly lucky that I am not a cold blooded killer, I would have  _ killed you _ in an instant.” He spat out, turning around and walking away from him angrily. 

Seonghwa watched him go, gasping around a breath that filled his lungs. 

He straightened himself on the brick wall, grunting as he stood up. 

_ “This was…tense.”  _

“Shut it, I don’t have time for your frankly unwelcome commentary,” Seonghwa snapped, annoyed with Choi’s timing. 

_ “Well, I do not want to lie to myself and say that I agree with what you said to the poor man. You were being an asshole—you were cursing him for who he was.” _

Seonghwa huffed. 

“What—you expected me to be buddy-buddy with him? He’s a vampire! We can’t trust him, less  _ befriend _ him.” 

San groaned, and Seonghwa could picture the dramatic eye rolling from a mile away. 

_ “You’re so…frustrating. Actually—you’re being a dick for no reason. The contact did nothing but cooperate with us and you’re berating him on the sole fact that he’s a vampire.”  _

Seonghwa frowned, wondering where that came from. 

San never yelled or scolded him before—

“And? What’s the problem? He  _ is _ .”

San facepalmed, the sharp sound coming to his ears. 

_ “Okay, I guess I have to say this in your own vocabulary for you to get this through your thick skull.”  _

Seonghwa didn’t reply, watching Hongjoong pause in his marching sequence—head turning in different directions with a puzzled look on his face. 

_ “You’re trying your best to not become a monster—like those vampires, right?”  _

“I am in no way barbaric and bloodthirsty enough to want to torture people for my own pleasure—so not at all.” Seonghwa replied quickly, swatting the dust away from his Hunter uniform. 

San’s voice picked up, and it was close to a growl at that point because of how tense his tone was as he replied to Seonghwa—

_ “Well, right now, you’re far more of a monster than Hongjoong is.”  _

Seonghwa stopped breathing, Hongjoong snapped his head around—

Eyes glowing red. 

_ “You’re closed off and cursing him for who he is without a fucking reason.” _

The jab at his behavior didn’t hurt. 

_ “Honestly, if I would take a look at you both, I would come to trust Hongjoong more.”  _ Seonghwa couldn’t breathe. 

_ “I do not recognize you, Seonghwa. I don’t know who you’ve become.”  _

He didn’t know if he let himself fall to the ground or if something threw him against the ground on impact, but his cheek made contact with the pavement. 

Then, as he rose his head to stare into the eyes of a frantic Hongjoong with fangs poking out of his lips in alarm—the Hunter realized that someone tried to shoot him. 

There’s a hole in the brick wall, exactly where his head used to be just a second ago. The hole was gigantic. 

Maybe not a gunshot. 

_ “Seonghwa—was that a fucking gunshot?” _

Seonghwa groaned in confusion, letting Hongjoong raise him up—because the impact was strong enough to send him flying by a few meters. 

Hongjoong started yelling, to San most likely. “Someone shot a fucking grenade at Seonghwa, he’s hit—”

Oh, he realized. 

A hand grabbed at him, shaking him out of his stupor. 

“Seonghwa—get a hold of yourself! We need to go, before whoever wants your head  _ succeeds _ to do just that.” The vampire snarled at him, shaking his debris covered frame—eyes wide. 

Seonghwa managed to nod, his mind just a bit sluggish—

“I can walk just fine,” Seonghwa muttered weakly, but he didn’t reject the other’s help. 

“Says the guy with a possible concussion from a grenade.” 

Seonghwa stayed quiet, sending a weak glare to Hongjoong. 

Then, another grenade bounced on the sidewalk, a few meters behind them—and the second it clicked in their brains—it was almost too late. 

“Fuck—”

Hongjoong grabbed him and flipped him over his shoulder, even with his slightly smaller frame, he was stronger than Seonghwa due to his vampiric powers. 

Just as the second explosion occurred, Hongjoong was on the other side of the street, far away from the exploding grenade. 

Seonghwa could barely breathe, and he was becoming more and more sluggish, like his body didn’t belong to him. He felt…putty. 

Hongjoong gripped him tighter, whispering something to him as he walked forward—letting shadows dictate his direction. “We’re stuck together now, whoever just shot at us—now know that we are working together.”

Seonghwa whined, not enchanted by this at all. 

“Suck it up, buttercup. We have no choice.” 

And with that, Seonghwa tapped out against the vampire’s shoulder. 

Hongjoong walked as long as his limbs allowed him, letting himself bask in the moonlight glow as he moved Seonghwa to his chest, holding him bridal style, so that the Hunter could rest for a moment. 

  
  
  


—

  
  
  


Seonghwa opened his eyes to darkness. And he almost vomited as he smelled something putrid in the air—

_ Where _ was he?

Seonghwa coughed as he flipped into his front, his chest brushing something hard and scraped, like a sidewalk—or rusty tiles?

Seonghwa huffed as he sat up against the hard surface, confused as to how he ended up here. 

Brushing shaking fingers against his temple, he shuddered as they came in contact with something  _ wet _ .

Most likely fresh blood. 

“Jesus Christ—my head hurts,” he muttered to himself as he stood up in a complete galaxy of darkness, it was cold and silent. 

Then, something grabbed him firmly—making him pause in his steps and jump in surprise and in slight terror. 

Adding to that, he couldn’t hear San in his earpiece, he was completely alone. 

“Stop panicking, Jesus Christ—you’re not going to die here.” A voice piped up in the shadows, the noise echoing along the walls of whatever location they were currently in. 

He remembered the sound of Hongjoong’s voice immediately, only slightly relaxing at the realization. 

Seonghwa slid back to the ground, with the vampire’s grip still on his wrist. 

“Where are we?” 

Hongjoong snorted in the dark. 

“Take a wild guess, honey.” 

Seonghwa frowned, then took a sniff of the horrid air—it smelled like dirt, rotten food and…

Fecal matter. 

Seonghwa almost turned on himself and puked his guts out—but Hongjoong’s grip on him kept him from completely losing. 

“Hey, take it easy—I know it’s not ideal, and trust me I don’t want to be here either.”

“We’re in the town’s sewers,  _ Hongjoong _ . This is the worst place we could be.” 

“Well, the person who wants you dead can’t track you underground.” 

Well, he had a point, Seonghwa found himself agreeing. 

A short ray of light appeared just under his eyes, and he internally thanked the gods for Hongjoong for having a flashlight. 

The vampire hissed as he sat up on the rock floor, light going straight into his face. 

Seonghwa didn’t miss how red his face was. 

“Hongjoong—your skin?”

Hongjoong shrugged, eyes slotting forward to the other side of their location. 

“Heh, it’s fine—it’s not purely UV light, I won’t die from it.” 

Seonghwa scoffed, looking away from the brown haired vampire. 

“Sorry for caring then.” 

Hongjoong rolled his eyes, not convinced. 

“You never did, and you never  _ will _ .” 

Seonghwa huffed, turning to the side. 

“We need to wait for the dust to settle slowly until we can come out of our hiding place, then I’ll be able to escort you to someone who can patch you up.” 

Seonghwa passed a finger on the small gash in his forehead, before gulping in discomfort. 

Hongjoong tried to help him—somehow. 

But it was probably for his own benefit since Seonghwa was around Hongjoong when the grenade exploded. 

Maybe it was about pride. 

About bossing a weakling, a  _ human _ around. 

Seonghwa clenched his teeth, his anger bubbling at the surface. “I’m just fine without your help, Kim.”

Hongjoong stood up slowly, leaning on the wall with the flashlight in his reddening hands. 

“Accept my help or I’ll let you rot happily with your possible concussion, and maybe there’s a third option—but you  _ won’t _ like it.” 

Seonghwa took the bait, turning around to stare him down. “Alright, let’s hear it.” He said grumpily. 

The vampire’s lips curled up in a smug smirk, and Seonghwa wanted to kill him. 

“You drink  _ my _ blood to close your wounds and guarantee yourself a way to live another day that isn’t in a sewer.”

Seonghwa stared at him with wide eyes, as if Hongjoong grew a second head. 

“Get your dirty fangs away from my skin,  _ bloodsucker _ .” Seonghwa pointed at him with his silver blade in emphasis, eyebrows connected in an angry frown. 

“Damn, your insults lack a lot of originality. It’s so disappointing that you have a pretty face with such a… _ boring personality _ .”

Seonghwa stood up, pushing Hongjoong roughly against the wall, anger coursing through his veins. 

“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?” 

Hongjoong seemed only amused by the Hunter’s outburst, smiling smugly at the man’s behavior. His eyes trailed over Seonghwa’s face and the Hunter didn’t  _ like _ that. It was like a feline stalking its prey, to strike it down whenever it was convenient and to then feed on it. 

“You have such a strong character, and yet, you let others dictate the way you think and act.” 

Seonghwa clenched his teeth, jaw set in stone—he tried to get his emotions in check. 

But looking at Hongjoong—

“You don’t think and act for yourself, you let others implant ideas and stereotypes into your own head, just so that you can get praises from your higher ups.”

He made him feel so angry, all the time. 

He was infuriating, bitter, flirty and overly sensuous and dramatic. 

Seonghwa was calculated, calmness incarnate, solid, tangible and full of tactics. 

He was solid, like stone. 

Hongjoong was like water, deep and full of secrets. Always changing. 

Seonghwa didn’t want to uncover what made Hongjoong—well,  _ Hongjoong _ —even though it seemed inevitable—because they were stuck in a war between Vampires and Hunters, almost recreating the  _ Blood War  _ from ten years ago. 

Seonghwa stepped away from the vampire, breathing heavily through his nose. 

“This is the fucking worst.” 

Hongjoong was about to retort something quite sharp, based on the veins bulging from his pale neck—but Seonghwa snapped a hand over his mouth, shushing him with a finger to his own lips.  _ Be quiet.  _

A set of footsteps are walking just over their heads—turning in a…circle? 

Hongjoong stared at Seonghwa, coming to the same conclusion as the Hunter. 

They were still being hunted. 

Seonghwa looked down at the vampire, raising an expectant eyebrow. 

Hongjoong didn’t try anything, only nodding to assure him that he would be quiet. 

“That’s a Hunter, or a vampire—because no ordinary person knows this location. Just stay still and do not say a word.” Hongjoong informed him in a hushed whisper. 

Seonghwa nodded, pulling away from the slightly colder man. 

“You need rest—so just lay down and sleep it off until they stop searching for us.” 

Seonghwa turned around to stare at the man with a question on the tip of his tongue, unsure about what he was supposed to do… _ here _ . 

The sewers were quiet, it pressed on him and it made him slightly insecure about the safety of this place. 

The noise of the dirty water passing through the center almost relaxed him, if it wasn’t for the absolutely disgusting smell. 

“You cannot expect me to trust you enough to sleep around you like a crazy man—”

“Well, I cannot trust you to make it to my acquaintance without passing out along the way. Dude, no offense, but even with my powers you’re quite heavy.” Hongjoong replied, flexing his fingers as he slid down the concrete wall. 

Seonghwa opened his mouth—

“Did you just call me fat?” 

Hongjoong rolled his eyes, probably expecting the quiet outburst of the Hunter. 

“You’re not fat, idiot. I’m talking about your muscles.” 

Oh. 

Seonghwa felt his cheeks heat up without his consent, clearing his throat to avoid making the situation awkward. 

“Sleep”, Hongjoong demanded, eyes closing as he leaned back against the wall. 

“I’ll watch over you.”

“That’s creepy.” 

Hongjoong shot a glare over the Hunter’s head. 

“Sleep or I’ll knock you out.” 

Seonghwa didn’t reply, but he relaxed his shoulders—trying to not focus on the horrible scent surrounding him. 

When sleep caught to him a few hours later, he dreamed of absolute darkness taking over him in the form of a boy with glinting fangs. 

  
  


—

  
  


Seonghwa came to just as they passed a door that led to a bar, the bright interior assaulting his eyes. The lights were barely bright—but passing time in sewers for hours could change your mind. 

Seonghwa closed his eyes as a migraine pounded in his head, hands tightening around Hongjoong’s neck. 

Wait. Around his neck?

“If you didn’t want to constantly have my head, I would think that you’ve taken a liking to me,” Hongjoong remarked, smirking a little as he walked into the bar with swift movements. 

Seonghwa grunted against his neck—his head giving him a hard time. 

“I still want to stab you. But I’m too tired.” 

Hongjoong laughed, putting Seonghwa down on the nearest barstool—making sure that he was alright before strolling into the back door, to check on his acquaintance, Seonghwa supposed. 

It wasn’t like he cared all that much anyway. 

Seonghwa turned his body to the side, staring out the glass doors, eyes settling on the dark horizon blending into a sea of stars. 

A sharp knock on wood made him jump, and Seonghwa turned back to where he had lastly seen the vampire—

There he was, accompanied by someone far taller than him. 

He was elegant, he looked freshened up with his neatly parted dark brown strands, his amber eyes sticking out like a sore thumb. 

That guy was a vampire  _ too _ . 

Seonghwa tensed, and Hongjoong felt it as well, because he stuck his hand out in a ‘don’t move’ manner. 

“He’s not going to hurt you, Park. Calm down, he’s here to treat you.” 

Seonghwa gripped the edge of the bar counter, teeth clenched in fear. 

“He’s a vampire.” He said weakly, as if it could explain why he was afraid of the man—he looked like a marshmallow, even his anormal eyes were…expressive and empathetic. 

The man stopped walking towards the Hunter, hands raised. “I won’t hurt you—you don’t have anything to worry about. You’re safe here.” 

Seonghwa scoffed, “Not really, no. Not with you two in the same room.” 

The man paused, hands gliding to his sides. 

“I am not a typical vampire—as one would say,” the man started, eyes darting to Seonghwa’s face. He approached him slowly, “I do not feed on blood—my body wasn’t made like a typical vampire after a bite.” 

Seonghwa frowned, looking at the calm man. 

“Then what do you feed on?” Seonghwa asked, voice hoarse with uncertainty. 

The man stopped a few centimeters from the dark haired hunter, a smile stretching on his face. 

“I feed…on emotions. I can siphon your pain away, closing your wounds completely.” The man confessed, not afraid of revealing a part of himself out in the open. 

Seonghwa stared at the vampire, uncertain. There was a mission that had to be completed, but they were stalling. They were losing time that they could never get back—they needed to dismantle the human trafficking ring as soon as possible. 

So he had to suck it up and let the creature of the night heal him. 

Seonghwa eventually relaxed, eyes moving to the stare at the strange vampire. 

Hongjoong pulled away from his position on the wall, walking towards the Hunter. 

He pointed towards his vampire acquaintance, “The man who is about to keep your brain from giving out is named Yunho—so thank him later.”

Seonghwa turned to Hongjoong, nodding slowly. 

Hongjoong, seemingly satisfied, nodded back and pulled away from the two—to give Seonghwa space mostly. 

The man—Yunho—pulled away from the bar counter and beckoned the hunter over to the back door. 

“We have a feeding room—it’s not really one anymore, I’m mostly using it to heal my people to the best of my abilities.” Yunho informed him as they passed the wooden door, walking into a white room—which was void of any color, of any feeling. 

It felt…odd, to Seonghwa. 

“I don’t want emotions and feelings to flare up during our session, so the walls remain bare—mostly because, to me, white and grey mean purity and calm. It helps me concentrate as well.” 

That was surely surprising. 

But that made somehow the hunter more at ease. 

Yunho may have been a vampire—but he was putting people’s needs before his own. 

He tolerated— _ respected _ that. 

Yunho invited him to sit on one of the comfortable looking couches, sitting on the one across his. 

Seonghwa fiddled with his hands, a simple feeling of silent terror cursing through him. 

He couldn’t help but glance at his hands on his lap, before squeezing his pants—getting to his skin underneath—to check if he was still here,  _ alive _ . 

“I will touch you, but I won’t do so until you’re ready for me to make contact with you physically.” 

“Let’s get this over with,” he replied instantly—swallowing the nausea that came over him, his senses. 

“If you’re sure.” 

He nodded.  _ I am.  _

A specter of terror and fright lightened up in his eyes as he saw the vampire come closer to Seonghwa, and then—

Just as his cold, lifeless finger came in contact with him—

He felt none. 

Seonghwa raised his eyes at Yunho, who had his eyes closed in deep concentration. His veins were bulging with an obscure color, like a dark smoke under his white skin. 

Then, he remarked that his head didn’t hurt anymore. 

Yunho pulled away after a few seconds, gasping under his breath. 

Seonghwa stared up at the vampire, mouth wide open in surprise. 

“That was…short?” 

And it didn’t hurt at all. 

Yunho chuckled, “Most people say that to me after a session—because they expect my abilities to be like the ones of standard vampires. But I do not have any kill spree records under my belt. I heal, that is all.” 

Seonghwa nodded, still shaken up from the fact that all of his negative emotions left his body like a simple thought. 

A soft knock on the door made him stand up in apprehension, wondering how Hongjoong knew they were done. 

Just as he was about to take a hold of the door handle, Yunho yanked him back by a few meters. 

Seonghwa turned his head around, ready to strike him down—only to stop and ponder at the anguished look on his face. 

The peaceful vampire was gone, replaced by an opposite being. 

“What was that for?” He asked, irritation getting the worst of him. 

“Hongjoong has a knocking pattern, this wasn’t one of them.” The brown haired vampire replied worriedly. 

“I think that the one who tried to kill us might have found us—”

Yunho growled in frustration. “And now they found  _ my _ bar that I took  _ years _ building to be human-vampire friendly, and they probably won’t keep it intact.” 

Seonghwa stared in stunned disbelief at the emotional vampire. “Sorry for coming here then.” 

Yunho scoffed in amusement, “Don’t take offense to that—I’m always doing this under stressful situations.” 

As he said that, a bottle was dropped to the floor and the sound resonated in the entire bar, the loud noise reaching the two. 

“We need to do something, Hongjoong is probably held at gunpoint.” 

Seonghwa breathed through his nose, unsheathing his blade in a graceful gesture. 

“The only thing we can do is  _ fight _ .”

Yunho tilted his head, and the hunter could see that he was not happy about the spontaneous decision he made about fighting their way to save Hongjoong or give him a hand. 

“I do not want to kill anyone.” Yunho said, his voice slightly shaking. 

Seonghwa gripped the blade tightly between his fingers, feeling the metal digging into his flesh. 

“You do not have a choice—do you want your friend to die without you even trying to save him? Because if you don’t lift a fucking finger to help him, it will be your fault if Hongjoong gets hurt.” Yunho stared at him in shock, recoiling at the dig at his slight cowardice. 

The vampire seemed to be thinking about his next course of action, eyes nervously glancing towards Seonghwa. 

“Okay. I don’t like doing this, but for Hongjoong—”

Seonghwa stared quietly, just as another knock was heard outside of the room—someone was trying to get through it quite  _ violently _ —someone was trying to bust it down with their feet. 

Seonghwa stared. 

At the friendly vampire—

He didn’t expect himself to actually take a small interest in him, due to his strange pacifist nature and his non-lethal ways to feed himself, Seonghwa came to respect him for a short second. To tolerate his existence. Perhaps  _ more _ than Hongjoong’s. 

Because Yunho didn’t kill for fun and games. 

Because he didn’t need to kill to survive. 

Seonghwa lurched forward as the door broke into hundred pieces—throwing his blade towards the perpetrator, who ducked in time to avoid a blade plunged between his eyes. 

Seonghwa pulled his arm back and slammed it into the man’s stomach, the guy curling over himself in pain. 

He didn’t waste any time and followed his assault with a strong kick to the man’s side—the impact intense enough to make him lose focus. 

It gave enough time for Yunho to take action. 

He raised his hands together, his eyes glinting a marvelous amethyst—then the guy started screaming in immense, overwhelming pain. The volume of the man’s voice became louder and louder, then he lost consciousness. 

Seonghwa gaped at the figure on the ground, eyes moving towards Yunho, who only shrugged in response. 

“He’s not dead, if that’s what you're thinking.” 

“What did you do?” 

“I increased his feeling of pain by tenfold. He passed out from it. It’s quite effective—and frankly not enough to kill them.” Yunho explained, putting his hands on his hips as they passed through the broken door. 

Seonghwa didn’t forget to get his weapon back, which was planted in the wall—and a gunshot went over his head, just as he ducked in time to avoid it. 

“Park—get back in the room—let me handle this!” Hongjoong shouted, his voice in great distress, even though he tried to hide it. 

“We won’t—we’re here to get rid of these bastards.” Yunho replied loudly, fingers flexing and ready for his next power use. 

Seonghwa was hiding behind the counter, staring at Yunho’s hiding spot—behind a pool table. 

The vampire stood up and closed his hands in tight fists, increasing the pain and suffering of two men that surrounded Hongjoong. 

They passed out in record time, screams leaving their bodies as they fell down to the floor like heavy rocks. 

Hongjoong yelped as the last guy standing circled his neck with his hands and pressed.  _ Hard _ . 

Seonghwa balked in horror as he realized that Hongjoong would have his windpipe crushed if he didn’t  _ move _ . 

Hongjoong trashed under the guy’s weight, gasping around the air that was leaving him. 

The man smirked as he pressed harder on his neck, smashing his skull on the floor. 

Hongjoong took back control into his limbs, and pressed his hand into the flesh of the man’s side—blood dropping like a dark sea on to the floor. 

The man gasped, surprised about Hongjoong’s attack—before dropping on the floor. 

Seonghwa stood up, analyzing the scene with his eyes—only one person was dead, the other three only unconscious. 

Yunho followed as they reached Hongjoong—who was laying on his back and gathering his senses. 

He gasped heavily as he tried to stand up, eyes closing as nausea overcame him. 

“You okay?”

Hongjoong glanced up at the hunter, before laying back down in an exhausted sigh. 

“Someone tried to choke me to death, normally I’m into that—but only in  _ sensual escapades _ .” 

Seonghwa rolled his eyes, scoffing. 

“He’s fine.” He said, moving his eyes towards the corpse bleeding out on the bar’s floor. 

The dark haired man checked the body, glancing at anything that could potentially help them track who was responsible for Seonghwa’s assault at the nightclub and  _ this _ attack. 

As he checked his limbs for anything useful, his eyes caught on to something on the man’s forearm. 

A black tattoo. 

One extremely familiar. 

One that Seonghwa could recognize  _ anywhere _ . 

The Hunter insignia. 

Seonghwa and Hongjoong were being chased by Hunters. 

Seonghwa became the prey. 

And they were the hunters. 

Seonghwa dropped the man’s arm, raising his head at Hongjoong and Yunho—who were huddled up together, checking each other for injuries. 

Bile burned against his throat, lips rolling as he wondered how he could bring that up to Hongjoong. 

He briefly wondered if they would survive, in the long run. 

It was either run or die. 

Seonghwa wasn’t one for dying, nor running. 

He wasn’t a coward—he was strategic. 

And perhaps the sewers were not too much of a bad idea, considering the fact that nobody found them underground. 

He just had to tell Hongjoong that he was  _ right _ about their previous location. 

Seonghwa hated that thought the most. 

But they had to work together to get out of this alive. 


End file.
